Being Overweight Can Actually Help You If You're Ever Hit by a Car

According to a new study done by surgeons, ER physicians, and researchers at the NYU Langone Medical Center, being overweight can actually be a good thing. Sure, it can make you susceptible to diseases like diabetes and put you at a higher risk for heart disease. But, if you're ever hit by a car, you're good! The study suggests that you're less likely to suffer serious injuries than someone who is not overweight. It appears that all that extra padding would serve to protect you.

"It is not implausible that a greater proportion of torso and extremity fat may protect against injury," the report says.

But, before you pick up that extra slice of pizza, it is worth noting that, while being overweight can be helpful to someone who has been hit by a car, the benefits of obesity stop there. Once an overweight victim is delivered to the ER following an accident, he or she is more likely to experience other health complications compared to someone who is not overweight. It's just that, at the time of the accident, "that extra layer offers some protection," says the study's leading authorDr. Spiros G. Frangos